I just finished watching episode #1 of Systm, and the first two “boxes” of From The Shadows. If you’re a fan of TechTV, you’ve probably already heard about them, since they feature many former TechTV personalities.

Watching shows like these, and other downloadable content like thebroken and THE.SCENE has convinced me that IPTV is the future. It’s like TV-on-Demand squared.

Thanks to cheap production equipment and file-sharing applications like BitTorrent, I envision a day not too far from now, when we no longer have cable TV or TiVo, and instead opt to download high-definition versions of our favorite shows for viewing anywhere at any time on any device.

Even with major studio involvement, I don’t think they can prevent this revolution from happening. They will simply have to adapt or die. Satellite Radio, MP3 players, and Podcasts have already put the hurt on commercial radio, and the same thing is going to happen to conventional broadcast television.

The recent success of Battlestar Galactica proves that changes are underway. It was being shared on various torrent sites by tens of thousands of people, who then told their friends to tune in for themselves. This word-of-mouth advertising has made Battlestar Galactica the most popular program to ever air on the SciFi Channel. (Link)

I envision a day when we will pay around $1 per episode for a popular program like 24, and probably less for niche programming like Battlestar Galactica. I even see them having specials, like say, $1 per episode of 24 or $20 for the entire season – presented in high-def without commercial interruption. As long as they don’t DRM us to death, I think this could be a win-win situation for us all.

Would you rather pay $30 a month (or more) for cable or satellite, or 25 cents to a dollar per episode of your favorite TV show?

But I digress. If you’re a geek, a couch potato, or just into technology in general, I highly suggest you check out some of these shows. The future is near. But don’t take my word for it…See it for yourself.

I saw Revenge of the Sith yesterday. Did you know that “Shit” is an anagram for Sith? This is ironic, because I still can’t get the taste of shit out of my mouth. I don’t want to give too much away, but in an effort to save you from two and a half hours of boredom – here’s my synopsis:

*** WARNING: This synopsis contains spoilers! But nothing can spoil Star Wars movies more than George Lucas himself. ***

• Anakin is having nightmares of Padme’s death.
• To save Padme’s life, Anakin must learn the ways of the dark side.
• Anakin kills some younglings and Sam Jackson.
• In retaliation, Obi-Wan Kenobi chops off Anakin’s legs.
• Padme loses the will to live, and I lose the will to finish watching this atrocity of a movie.
• Anakin is resurrected as Darth Vader.
• Darth Vader learns of Padme’s death and screams, “Nooooooo!”
• The End.

I’m sorry Chrusher and RaYzor, but this movie is NOT worth the price of admission. While there’s plenty of good eye candy, it’s not dark at all. And despite the reviews, it’s not any better than the first two prequels. Large sections of this film are unnecessary, and the entire “love story” between Anakin and Padme is corny and poorly written.

On a tragic side-note, Padme is not hot in this movie, and there is no nudity whatsoever. They don’t even show “vag” during her AWFUL childbirth/death scene.

I know this movie will make half a billion dollars or more, but it doesn’t mean it’s good. I enjoyed the last two Matrix films more than this, and that’s just sad. What’s worse is Keanu Reeves is probably a better actor than Hayden Christiansen. If you’re a Star Wars fanboy, I suggest you stay at home and watch the originals instead, or you could spend your hard-earned money on making your own fan film.

Here’s what I would do in five easy steps:

1) Hire a hooker.
2) Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character.
3) Pop in your favorite John Williams CD.
4) Using “the force” poke and jab her ass with your toy Lightsaber.
5) And finally, to give your movie that Revenge of the Sith feel…Have her ramble on about nothing for two hours, then drop a log in your mouth.

Have Fun!